Calculate a crew member’s Hourly Rate using the ‘Day Rate’ and hours the day is ‘Based on’. This will give you the Hourly Rate, 1.5x Rate, 2x Rate and the Payhours. Need to calculate the actualized wage now? Use the Simple Wage Calculator.
When it comes time to filling out the Start Paperwork, even though you negotiated a ‘Day Rate’, chances are you’ll be filling out an ‘Hourly’ wage and the employee will technically be considered an ‘Hourly Employee’. Most of the time when Crew Members negotiate a Day Rate, they’re negotiating a rate for a 12 hour day, and usually when they talk about overtime, they’re talking about overtime after 12. But it’s important to note that technically overtime starts after 8 hours. And the Day Rate you negotiate with the Crew Member for 12 hours, technically already includes 4 hours of overtime (12-8=4).
Considering that overtime officially starts after 8 hours, you can’t simply divide the ‘Day Rate’ by the ‘Hours Worked’. So this calculator quickly converts the ‘Work Hours’ into ‘Payhours’. For example 12 Hours Worked = 14 Payhours (8 Hours at straight time + 4 Hours at 1.5x, so that becomes 8+(4*1.5)=14). Then using the Payhours we can calculate the Hourly Rate. It’s also useful to see the 1.5x and 2x Rate while you’re at it, since you often need to fill this out on the Start Paperwork, and it’s just a time waster to have to calculate those individually each time.
Some things to note, while MOST OF THE TIME a Day Rate is negotiated for a 12 Hour Day, that’s not always the case. This is why the Hourly Rate Calculator asks that you fill in the amount of hours your Day Rate is based on. Sometimes you may negotiate a 12 hour day, but sometimes an 8 hour day and sometimes a 13 hour day. As long as you’re not violating minimum wage, it’s all negotiable, but make sure it’s absolutely clear to both parties how many hours the day rate is based on before the work starts.
Another thing to make note of, make sure the Hourly Rate doesn’t violate the State Minimum Wage! Often times on very low budget indie films, it’s easy to accidentally negotiate a Day Rate which comes out to less than the Minimum Wage. For an official schedule on State Minimum Wages go to the US Department of Labor website.
This calculation isn’t working! If I use this for a $250/12, they are being overpaid — help!
Hi there! $250/12 should come out to $17.8571/hour (12 work hours = 14 pay hours). Let me know if you’re getting a different calculation.
How do breaks and meal penalties figure in here?
You have to break someone after 6 hours (keep in mind that break time is not work time). If you don’t break them, then you will need to pay a meal penalty violation, which is different depending on the union affiliation of the employee.
So the 2x would kick in after 12 on a 12 hr day?
Thanks for this calculator, bookmarked!
That’s correct!
And for a 10 hour day basis… 8 straight hours, 2 hours at time and half; then, double time after 10??
For crew in CA, it’s double time after 12.
well done! thanks for the rate calculators…. i am wondering if have found a way to include forced calls in the calculators.
thanks
That one will take a bit of engineering! We don’t have that yet! Glad to hear these are proving useful.
Im curious about how to calculate meal penalties for non union jobs. I always hear you need to have a meal within 6 hours, but sometimes PAs are called in an hour before production crew so it is standard to allow 7 hours to pass before lunch for production crew.
I was on a show that went 2 hours past the 6 hour mark, how do I calculate that meal penalty? Rate was 250/14
Hi Markus, it’s correct that you have to break someone for lunch 6 hours after they start work. If they are pre-called, then you have to choose between breaking them before everyone else, or paying the meal penalty. The meal penalty for non-Union is equal to 1X their hourly rate (regardless of how late the break is given). At 250/14, the meal penalty would be $13.89.
Hi there – was hoping to get the pre-pro checklist but getting an error message saying the mailing list is not active. Website glitch? If still available, would love to receive. Thanks!
Hi Suellen, you can now download them directly from the site. Click here.
Hello
I am starting a wedding business and am trying to figure out what my rate would be to do a client wedding. I am not sure the math in figuring out rate but I am looking to learn
We received the following comment and bit confused. “Techs day rate is based on a max of 10 hours or any portion thereof beginning at call time and ending when the tech leaves set, including all meals and breaks.”
His rate is $700/10. If OT, after the 10th hour the rate is 1.5x ($105) and after the 12th hour its 2x ($140), is this correct?
Hey Erika,
It’s not exactly kosher that they’re saying it’s “including all meals and breaks”. That’s just not how payroll works. Per labor law, meal/break time is not work time. It also complicates the math. If they were to fill out a timecard, then the payroll company would have an issue with it. That aside, if the rate is truly $700 based on 10 work hours, then the hourly is actually $63.64, the 1.5X (after 8) = $95.45, and 2X (after 12) = $127.27. Try it out in the calculator above.
Why isn’t $650.00/10hr day $65.00 an hour? Your calculator says $59.09090909090909 per hour. What is this 11 pay-hour funk?
90% of my clients honor $650/10hrs as $65.00 an hour. The only time I run into this nonsense is when its run thru a payroll service. I supply gear as well as my services and usually invoice direct thru my company.
$650/10hrs straight – Time and a half would be $97.50 then Double Time is $130.00
This calculator says 88.63636363636364 T&H and 118.18181818181819 Double Time. Something is fishy.
Hey Graham, it can be confusing at first. You need to account for the fact that per labor law, overtime kicks in at 1.5X after 8. In other words, 10 work hours is actually 8 hours at straight time + 2 hours at 1.5X the hourly rate. The reason you’re running into this issue with payroll is because they are following labor law. If your rate is $650/10 Hours, then your hourly rate is technically $59.09. Take ($59.09 X 8 X 1) + ($59.09 X 2 X 1.5) and you get your $650. It may not be an issue with 90% of your clients, but it is still helpful to at least understand the concept for whenever you’re dealing with payroll. Hope this is helpful.
Did this calculator go down?
It’s back up and running now!
IT won’t show up on chrome or safari
The calculator was down, but it’s back up and running now. Give it a try.
The calculator is not working.
How do I calculate my straight time pay for a guaranteed of 495/10
Hi Chrisie, the calculator is back up and running again. Give it a try. Your hourly rate for this should come out to $45/Hr.
Hi! If the job is 10 hours, is 8h + 2h (1.5 OT ) and then when it’s going to start x2 OT rate? After 12h? Or different time?
Thank you so much!!
That’s correct. After 12 it goes to 2X. That’s assuming non-Union in California. But it might be different for different unions, and for different states.
Oh no the calculator isn’t working anymore. No numbers are showing up 🙁
Hi Clifton, thanks for flagging. The calculator has been updated and is back up and running now!
This site truly has all of the info I wanted about this subject and didn’t know who to ask.